


By any other name

by singleword



Category: Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Food
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-12-07
Updated: 2006-12-07
Packaged: 2020-01-23 08:36:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18546172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/singleword/pseuds/singleword
Summary: So what may I call you?" She rested her chin on her hand, smiled faintly at him across the breakfast table."I would assume my name to be the logical conclusion.""Fitzwilliam," her nose wrinkled. "It sounds entirely too old for you."





	By any other name

"So what may I call you?" She rested her chin on her hand, smiled faintly at him across the breakfast table.  
"I would assume my name to be the logical conclusion."  
"Fitzwilliam," her nose wrinkled. "It sounds entirely too old for you." He looked at her sternly over the rim of his teacup. She laughed, "Or perhaps not."  
He set the cup down, lifted a scone. Lizzie lipped at her thumb, savouring jam. He wished he could do the same. (But whether he meant for her thumb or his, he could not say.) Lizzie. There was such an artlessness about her, in her smiles and movements and laughs. The small sins of misbehaviour his sister committed out of youth, Lizzie determinedly committed out of fun.  
"You have permitted me to abbreviate your own name," he looked at her, then out the window. "It would be bad manners if I were not to extend the same privilege to you."  
"Frightfully bad manners indeed." She had learned to tease him. He, in his turn, had learned not to mind. "I believe I will remove the 'Fitz' then. My mother has provided enough of them to last me a lifetime."  
"I must warn you Elizabeth," he frowned, tearing the scone in half, "While I give you leave to abbreviate my name I do not appreciate it being reduced to a pun."  
Blithely, she ignored him. "'William,' as a name, is still a little too formal for the everyday, don't you think?"  
"I am quickly learning how little bearing my thoughts have on your decisions."  
She smiled sidelong, and he realised she had stolen half his scone. He wasn't sure how, but then he hadn't really been paying attention.  
"What say you to 'Will'?"  
"I don't believe there to be much choice. If you insist on reducing my name to the smallest utterable syllable you can call me nothing else but Will."  
"On the contrary," she refuted calmly through a mouthful of scone. "I could well take the second part of William and divide that still further, but 'Am' isn't exactly a name and 'Li' doesn't suit you."  
"In the face of such alternatives, 'Will' is eminently preferable."  
A fingertip rescued a crumb from the corner of her mouth. "I am glad we are in agreement."


End file.
